In a certain little corner of the world, covered with fresh green and gold paint, it is a time for a team.
So far, granted, not enough people have paid attention. That will change. Not enough victories have been celebrated. The team believes that, too, will change.
If one man is right, it may be time for the Rowdies to be born again.
Just you watch.
Farrukh Quraishi sits in his office, St. Petersburg and the future behind him. He believes. More than ever, he believes.
“Packed stadiums every night,’’ Quraishi foresees. “Championship banners on the wall. Loud fans.’’
Can it be? Can the Rowdies blossom from an afterthought of a franchise to part of the sporting heartbeat of Tampa Bay? Quraishi, the new general manager, thinks it can. The footing is solid. The love of the game is there. All that needs to happen is the entertainment.
Quraishi should know. He played with the Rowdies during their golden era, when there were no other sports teams in Tampa, where more than 28,000 fans per game filled the old Sombrero, when fans loved nothing more than a good kick in the grass.
“I think it can most certainly be that way again,’’ Quraishi said. “We have to give people a reason to come to the stadium. If people want to see entertaining soccer, they’ll find it here.’’
Increasingly, there is evidence that people do want to find entertaining soccer. Last year’s World Cup was a sensation in this country.
Pretty much, the Rowdies spent the off-season reinventing themselves to become more essential. There is a new general manger In Quraishi, a new coach in Thomas Rongen, 20 new players (of 26), a new coaching staff and a new facelift of Al Lang Stadium. The result was a team that Quraishi expects to compete.
Will that draw fans? Last year, the Rowdies only averaged about 3,500 per game. But if the team is more competitive, that should increase.
“The vision of (owner) Bill Edwards, of Thomas, of mine is the same,’’ Quraishi said. “We want to make this the best team in North America. I know that sounds lofty, but with the changes that are being made, we want it to be at the highest level.’’
If that happens, perhaps Tampa Bay can become the hotbed that Seattle, Kansas City and Orlando have become. Quraishi starts to tick off the players, and he does not pause for breath. He goes from Brian Hernandez to Clearwater native Brian Shriver to Darnell King to Zac Boggs to Marcelo Saragosa to his goalkeepers to his coaches. He is like carbonation in a bottle.
“We’ve done everything right,” he said.
Yes, it’s a dream. At present, the Rowdies are a team that doesn’t get nearly enough conversation. Quraishi thinks that will change. The Rays don’t seem impressive so far. The Bucs were awful. The Lightning will be over soon.
The Rowdies have their niche, Quaraishi said. He sees a team that will play an attacking style, a team that will be a delight to watch.
Oh, if only the city were as excited as he is. Quaraishi leads the league in shaken hands. He walks through the locker room, and he introduces you to this player and that one, and some of them are naked.
He is eager, in other words.
Outside, there is the smell of fresh paint.
A team with the feel of newness is open for business. This time, people will pay more attention.
Just you watch.
